To activate a contactor, a voltage must be applied to the contactor drive. In this regard, it is known to provide at least two coil connection terminals permanently attached to the contactor housing. As contactors can be combined with other switching devices in different ways, these coil connection terminals are often concealed, so that in some cases they are provided once more at different places on the contactor housing. Particularly when the coil connection terminals are arranged next to the connection terminals for the main current path or auxiliary current path in order that the coil connector can be accessed from the front, at least one coil connection terminal is less well accessible when the contactor is combined with other switching devices. This is a problem particularly when conductors with large diameter are provided in order to switch larger powers.
As well as these devices, with which the coil connection terminals lie in one connecting plane with the main and auxiliary conductor terminals, switching devices are known with which the coil connection terminals are arranged underneath the main conductor terminals. With switching devices of this kind, accessibility is made more difficult when the main conductor is connected due to the even more complex design. When additional switching devices are attached, for example a circuit breaker and/or an overload relay, in these cases the coil connectors are no longer accessible at all.
In addition, when contactors or combinations of switching devices (for example reversing contactor combinations, star-delta contactor combinations, circuit-breaker-contactor combinations) are to be actuated and electrically interlocked, there is a requirement to connect the drives and auxiliary switches. This is usually carried out with insulated conductors, which are connected to the connection terminals provided for the purpose. However, with this connection technique, the time-consuming and possibly incorrect wiring of the switching devices is problematic.
DE 89 0 0361 U1 discloses an electromagnetic device, the auxiliary switch and coil connector of which are in one plane. A plug connector can be used to make contact with the auxiliary switch connectors.